Whoo hoo!! Check out my quotes! They dubbed me a sweater-preneur. Love it.
http://www.post-gazette.com/…/Ugly-Chr…/stories/201412140010
Part of a sweater in the running for ugliest at the "merry-oke" ugly sweater party held by the Young Executive Council at the Rivers Club, Downtown.
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http://www.post-gazette.com/…/Ugly-Chr…/stories/201412140010
Stylebook Snapshot: Ugly Christmas sweaters help people ring in the holidays
December 14, 2014 12:00 AM
Pam Panchak/Post-Gazette
Part of a sweater in the running for ugliest at the "merry-oke" ugly sweater party held by the Young Executive Council at the Rivers Club, Downtown.
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For thrift store enthusiast Leah Reitmeyer of North Versailles,
there’s nothing quite like uncovering a truly ugly, soaked in sequins,
can’t-help-but-stare holiday sweater.
“I would see all kinds of sweaters that I really thought were funny,” she says. “I wanted to buy them but had no reason to buy them.”
But she bought them anyhow and decided to sell them.
A couple of months ago she launched on Facebook the page Leah’s Ugly Sweater Store & More, where she posts some of her most festively ugly finds that people can purchase by contacting her through social media. She also makes some of her own by gluing on embellishments like wreaths and tinsel.
Ms. Reitmeyer is part of a growing group of what you’d call sweater-preneurs. They are those who get their jollies by adding some fashion follies to people’s holidays through designing ornate sweaters or reselling vintage ones. Some other good local go-tos for holiday gear include A Child’s Wardrobe & Adults Too in Squirrel Hill, Highway Robbery vintage shop on the South Side and consignment stores.
And the demand for these wacky wardrobe staples this time of year is going strong.
“There’s something fun about not taking yourself too seriously,” says Jared Sullivan, chair of the Young Executive Council at the Rivers Club, Downtown. For the group’s holiday get-together, it opted for a “merry-oke” sweater party, complete with karaoke and, of course, quirky clothes. Some of the standouts: a gnome get-up that read “take me gnome tonight,” gingerbread men with their limbs broken off exclaiming “oh snap!” and some homemade creations with ornaments and candy canes stuck on them.
“It’s almost like the second coming of Halloween,” says Brian Miller, co-owner of Crow Point, Ind.-based UglyChristmasSweaterParty.com. “This is kind of an excuse to just have fun and be goofy.”
The website started in 2005 as a blog that listed where ugly holiday sweater parties would be held and what people wore to them. Interest started to build, particularly when it came to where to find such gaudy gems. Like Ms. Reitmeyer, Mr. Miller and some friends found their local thrift store to be a treasure trove for seasonal sweaters seeking a new home. They sell these thrift store discoveries on their site, as well as new lines of holiday sweaters some mainstream brands have been churning out. This year Mr. Miller expects the site to sell 10,000 sweaters.
“It’s been incredibly successful,” he says. A few years ago a literary agent approached Mr. Miller and his team about turning some of their website’s content into an ugly Christmas sweater party book, which was published by Abrams and attracted the attention of “The Tonight Show With Jay Leno.”
Others are not only using the silly sweaters to share humor but also to help others. Organizers of National Ugly Christmas Sweater Day — held annually on the second Friday of December — teamed this year with Save the Children’s Make the World Better With a Sweater campaign. People were encouraged to wear their favorite holiday sweater, spread the word about the cause and make a $5 donation at savethechildren.org. The day was sponsored by Tipsy Elves, a brand that designs whimsical (and some naughty) holiday sweaters that was featured last year on the ABC television show “Shark Tank.”
But no matter the reason that someone slips one on, it’s just another way to channel the spirit of the season, says Wesley Flippo, National Ugly Christmas Sweater Day co-founder.
It’s about “putting people in their worst to bring out their best.”
For more from Post-Gazette style editor Sara Bauknecht, visit the
PG's fashion blog Stylebook at post-gazette.com/stylebook. Follow her on
Twitter and Instagram @SaraB_PG or email sbauknecht@post-gazette.com.“I would see all kinds of sweaters that I really thought were funny,” she says. “I wanted to buy them but had no reason to buy them.”
But she bought them anyhow and decided to sell them.
A couple of months ago she launched on Facebook the page Leah’s Ugly Sweater Store & More, where she posts some of her most festively ugly finds that people can purchase by contacting her through social media. She also makes some of her own by gluing on embellishments like wreaths and tinsel.
Ms. Reitmeyer is part of a growing group of what you’d call sweater-preneurs. They are those who get their jollies by adding some fashion follies to people’s holidays through designing ornate sweaters or reselling vintage ones. Some other good local go-tos for holiday gear include A Child’s Wardrobe & Adults Too in Squirrel Hill, Highway Robbery vintage shop on the South Side and consignment stores.
And the demand for these wacky wardrobe staples this time of year is going strong.
“There’s something fun about not taking yourself too seriously,” says Jared Sullivan, chair of the Young Executive Council at the Rivers Club, Downtown. For the group’s holiday get-together, it opted for a “merry-oke” sweater party, complete with karaoke and, of course, quirky clothes. Some of the standouts: a gnome get-up that read “take me gnome tonight,” gingerbread men with their limbs broken off exclaiming “oh snap!” and some homemade creations with ornaments and candy canes stuck on them.
“It’s almost like the second coming of Halloween,” says Brian Miller, co-owner of Crow Point, Ind.-based UglyChristmasSweaterParty.com. “This is kind of an excuse to just have fun and be goofy.”
The website started in 2005 as a blog that listed where ugly holiday sweater parties would be held and what people wore to them. Interest started to build, particularly when it came to where to find such gaudy gems. Like Ms. Reitmeyer, Mr. Miller and some friends found their local thrift store to be a treasure trove for seasonal sweaters seeking a new home. They sell these thrift store discoveries on their site, as well as new lines of holiday sweaters some mainstream brands have been churning out. This year Mr. Miller expects the site to sell 10,000 sweaters.
“It’s been incredibly successful,” he says. A few years ago a literary agent approached Mr. Miller and his team about turning some of their website’s content into an ugly Christmas sweater party book, which was published by Abrams and attracted the attention of “The Tonight Show With Jay Leno.”
Others are not only using the silly sweaters to share humor but also to help others. Organizers of National Ugly Christmas Sweater Day — held annually on the second Friday of December — teamed this year with Save the Children’s Make the World Better With a Sweater campaign. People were encouraged to wear their favorite holiday sweater, spread the word about the cause and make a $5 donation at savethechildren.org. The day was sponsored by Tipsy Elves, a brand that designs whimsical (and some naughty) holiday sweaters that was featured last year on the ABC television show “Shark Tank.”
But no matter the reason that someone slips one on, it’s just another way to channel the spirit of the season, says Wesley Flippo, National Ugly Christmas Sweater Day co-founder.
It’s about “putting people in their worst to bring out their best.”
Get expa
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